In Russia, more and more films with female lead characters are being made. One of them is 'Litvyak' about fighter pilot Lydia Litvyak. We visited the set of the film and share exclusive behind-the-scenes with you.

In December, filming of the Russian film 'Litvyak' is taking place in one of the pavilions of the Lenfilm studio. The film tells the story of the exploits of Soviet fighter pilot Lydia Litvyak and her regiment during the Great Patriotic War. The editorial team of 'After the Credits' managed to visit the set (in the airport set with full-size aircraft) during the filming of one of the aerial combat scenes and talk with director Andrey Shalyopa and the lead actress Polina Chernyshova.

According to director Andrey Shalyopa, the film crew averages 80 people. However, the number may vary depending on the tasks. The total budget for the film 'Litvyak' is approximately 400 million rubles.

The scene we attended will likely take place in the sky. The actress simulated a flight moment, and in the final version, the blue background will probably be replaced with cirrus clouds and a blue sky. The camera was positioned at the bottom of the Yak's canopy and took a portrait shot of the heroine during (as it seemed to us) one of the maneuvers.

Actress Polina Chernyshova said during a break between takes that while preparing for the role, she looked at photographs of Lydia Litvyak. They were magical and reminded her once again that this is a film about a real person. But as an actress, the photos didn't help her much, because it's hard to tell what a person is like from a photograph.

Furthermore, Polina noted that she and the director have different perceptions of Litvyak's personality, so it's unlikely that the real Lydia will be seen in the film (the film will be a feature, not a documentary). But the creators didn't have that goal either—to show an exact copy of Lydia. For example, the real girl had a silver tooth, but the actress does not.

The actress said that before filming, she watched the Soviet documentary film 'My Anxious Happiness', which is dedicated to the female pilots of the Great Patriotic War. While watching, she realized that all these heroines, cutting through the sky in fighters, were ordinary women in life 'with very gentle voices' who laughed and joked.

One girl in the film said: 'Now we understand that we treated the planes like children. You always think about it, that you need to cover it, feed it.' I don't think that [a female pilot] is some kind of different person, a super-mega robot, filled with courage. I think it was a different time then, and it was a common cause. Everyone did what they considered the only right thing; there were no other options. They were brave people, but I think it's probably more about the strong attention [to the girls] than about special courage.

Before filming began, Polina Chernyshova not only studied her character but also gained flight experience. Thanks to directors Andrey Shalyopa and Kim Druzhinin, she had the opportunity to fly and pilot a plane.

They gave us a magical gift: they organized real flights, and before filming, we probably flew on real planes with pilots about three times. The trick is that there are two cockpits: front and back. And the control panel is in both cockpits. On the first flight, we just sat in the plane, watched, and were blown away by what was happening, grabbing onto everything we could when the pilot did loops, spins, and rolls. And then the pilot told me: 'Now you do it yourself.' Of course, he pressed the different buttons, but they trusted us with the control stick, and we did loops, for real. Then we did barrel rolls, but I didn't do the spin, I got scared, because you really have to 'fall' down. That was the preparation, and it was amazing.

Our heroes love this aerial element. And thanks to the flights, we were able to feel it. Because you can't understand it with your mind, but when you actually fly and see the horizon change its position, it's very inspiring.

Lydia Litvyak is an ace woman, the first line in the world ranking of female combat pilots. Her regiment flew Yak-1 fighters, covering attack aircraft, transport planes, and ground forces. The female pilots took part in battles over Stalingrad, Rostov, and the Mius Front during World War II.

Expect the film 'Litvyak' on the big screen.